P a g e | 1 Sermon #237 Luke 19:29-44 Palm Sunday, March 25, 2018 Title Slide King in the Garden Slide 2 How many of you like olives? I see a few of you do. I don’t particularly care for them although I do like them on pizza. Most anything tastes good on pizza, right? Olives are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. They are grown in every continent except Antarctica. There are many varieties of olive trees, which have a life expectancy of sometimes more than two thousand years. The fruit comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. The native state of the olive is inedible by humans, but once cured in brine, olives can be quite tasty, at least for some people. Slide 3 Today we visit another garden in our sermon series on the Gardens of Scripture, one that is very significant for biblical history and one that figures prominently in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. And that garden is the Mt. of Olives, a two-mile- long ridge that lies east of Jerusalem’s Old City on the other side of the Kidron Valley. Its highest point reaches 2,700 ft. Many olive trees were found on the fertile northern slopes of the ridge and the less fertile southern ridge became the city’s cemetery and continues even today as a burial site for many famous people including Menachem Begin, who asked to be buried there. Slide 4 So, on this Palm Sunday come with me today to this very strategic, important garden called the Mt. of Olives, the starting point for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, only about three thousand ft. away as you see on the map. What might we find here in this significant place? Could it help us understand the reason for Jes us’ actions on that day? And might it teach us something vital for our lives today? Yes, for sure it does. But let’s begin in the garden itself with its unique history. Slide 5 I. In the garden (the Mt. of Olives), history is made A. Old Testament history: Slide 6 with two clicks The Mt. of Olives is referred to directly and indirectly in the Old Testament. • When King David fled Jerusalem after the conspiracy of his son, Absalom, he went up the mount of Olives with his head covered, weeping along with his tearful followers. Another King, Jesus, would later weep profusely on this mount twice during the last week of his life. • Solomon was also anointed King in this same area (1 Kings 1:32-40). Slide 7 • One other very interesting OT reference to the Mt. of Olives concerns a prophecy about the end times. Zechariah 14 foretells of the day of our Lord’s return when God will gather all the nations for battle in the valley between Jerusalem and the
P a g e | 2 ridge, which God calls, “my mountain.” H ere, right here in this garden on this Mt. of Olives, Jesus will return some day! When Jesus steps foot on this mount again, it will split in half. Half of the mountain will move north and the other half will move south. With this prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled, the Mt. of Olives becomes even more significant. Now let’s m ove on into the NT references. B. New Testament history: Slide 8 with four clicks • Jesus spent much time on this mountain. He often lodged there at the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany, a small town on this ridge. And during his final week of life and ministry, Jesus spent each night on the Mt. of Olives. • According to Matt. 24 and Mark 3, Jesus sat down on the Mt. of Olives and taught his disciples about the coming destruction of the temple and prepared them for the end times. • He also prayed there in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, also located on the Mt. of Olives (Luke 22:39-46). Just like King David of old, Jesus agonized profusely in this garden, sweating great drops of blood even. • Finally, our risen Lord ascended into heaven from the Mt. of Olives (Luke 24:50- 53; Acts 1:9-12), the very place he will return on his second coming. In the same way he left, he will return. So, this garden we are visiting today, the Mt. of Olives is a very historical place in deed, one we need to know much about. I look forward to visiting there on my trip to the Holy Land next month. But this garden also sets the scene for the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In fact, according to Luke, the main action of the day takes place right here in this place. For it is here that a king, the true king is revealed. Slide 9 II. In the garden, the true king is revealed A. The King initiates the procession The story opens with Jesus on the Mt. of Olives giving his disciples a task. They are to go into a village and find a colt that no one has ridden and untie it and bring it to Jesus. If someone asks, “ Wh y are you untying it?” They are simply to say, “The Master has need of it.” The disciples go and find the situation to be just as Jesus said. They bring the young colt to Jesus, through their cloaks on the colt and then lift Jesus on to the colt. Just as King Solomon was lifted onto a mule when he was proclaimed King in the same garden (1 Kings 1), so Jesus is now being proclaimed king by being lifted onto a colt. And just like a maestro who with one stroke of the hand begins the ballad, so Jesus himself initiates the whole royal procession. Now the procession begins. Each of the four gospels relates this story. All four emphatically declare the proclamation of Jesus as king. John tells us that the people
P a g e | 3 cut palm branches and wave them. The palm branches would have come from Jericho, where Jesus had previously healed the blind man. But Luke just refers to branches being cut, perhaps some of the branches were even olive branches, because that’s all that was there on this mount. The olive branch was considered the symbol of peace. B. The disciples proclaim Jesus as King Slide 10 Luke tells us that the group of disciples chanted praises to him. Matthew says that the “ whole city ” was in an uproar. John proclaims that many disciples were there, including many who had heard of Lazarus’ resurrection. And they all shouted these praises fit for a king. “Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven ” they shouted (v. 38). Yes, many people coming to Jerusalem received a blessing, but not like this. The shouts came from OT prophecies, part from Psalm 118 that Mike read earlier, which is a triumphant psalm of praise to the king. Make no doubt about it, Jesus’ disciples are proclaiming him king. No, not everyone understands. Matthew tells us that some of the people asked, “ Who is this?” Some people replied that he was a prophet. But neither of those groups proclaimed him as king, only the disciples. With their actions, the disciples are saying that their Messiah and King is here, which Jesus fully approved. When the Pharisees command Jesus to stop his disciples, he says that even the rocks will cry out, that is the rocks from a very significant garden that know who is the true king. Jesus as King is being revealed as he marches into Jerusalem, the very place that will eventually deny his kingship and crucify him for “presuming” to be a king. And he comes not on a white stallion, as Jewish victors did in the past, but on a colt. He comes as the humble king, who shows us the way to true humility and love. Jesus is king. He is our king. Our humble king in the garden. C. His sorrow for human sin “What a place,” you say? “What a garden?” Yes, it is. And even more important, “What a king in this garden!” The place is significant only because of its people, only because of the king. But before we leave this garden, Luke tells us of another significant occurrence. Just before descending to the valley below and entering the city, Jesus paused on this mount for a moment, as he looked out over the city. Slide 11 with click At this moment, Jesus weeps. Someone noticed it. Luke wasn’t there in the crowd that day, but someone noticed it and reported it to him. So, it was very significant. While all the others are shouting praises, with all the celebration and fanfare going on around him, Jesus is weeping. What a contrast! The word here in Greek does not indicate a few tears trickling down Jesus’ face. No, i t refers to a sobbing and weeping uncontrollably, even wailing. Jesus is overwhelmed with sorrow for the people of Jerusalem. Through his tears, Jesus loudly laments, “ If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes ” (v. 42). John’s gospel also notes his rejection: “ He came to his own, but his own people did not accept him ” (1:11). As Jesus’ grieves, he also pronounces a prophetic warning.
Recommend
More recommend
